VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Feb. 4, 2014) - Aviation students can now apply for the opportunity to attend the 10th-annual CHC Safety & Quality Summit, through grants which honour a long-time advocate of excellence in aviation safety training.

The Dr. Peter Gardiner student grant, worth more than $4,000, covers admission to the summit, a choice of one of the pre-event courses, as well as $1,500 in hotel and travel reimbursement.

This year's pre-event training courses will be "Human Factors Analysis Classification System," taught by Dr. Douglas A. Wiegmann and Dr. Scott A. Shappell, and "Human Factors in Aviation Maintenance," taught by a team from University of Southern California.

Drs. Wiegmann and Shappell of HFACS Inc, will once again sponsor one student to participate in the summit. In recognition of a continuing connection with the CHC event, the Westin Bayshore Vancouver - the host hotel - has very generously matched the grant, enabling a second student to attend this year.

The summit is recognized as perhaps the most important helicopter safety conference in the world. This year's event will be March 31 to April 2, with pre-summit courses starting March 27.

The late Dr. Gardiner, after whom the annual grant is named, was president and chief executive officer of the Southern California Safety Institute (SCSI). His objective for SCSI was to provide people in aviation with the best possible tools and training to reduce accident rates and ultimately increase the safety of those that fly.

The focus on the human side of aviation safety and the development of safety management systems attracted Dr. Gardiner to the CHC event, where each year he brought his unique blend of professionalism and humour to the sessions he taught. The student grant is a tribute to Dr. Gardiner's commitment to aviation safety, and is intended to help inspire excellence in aviation students.

Students interested in this year's grants must apply and submit a 500-word essay prior by the Feb. 26 deadline. More information about the grants and access to the application are available at www.chcsafetyqualitysummit.com.

About CHC

CHC is a commercial operator of helicopters focused on enabling customers to go further, do more and come home safely. CHC provides helicopter flight services to oil and gas companies and government search-and-rescue agencies, and helicopter maintenance, repair and overhaul services to organizations through the Heli-One segment. The company operates 238 aircraft in about 30 countries around the world.